Hurricane Irma

As we continue our recovery and cleanup efforts, please visit the Emergency website for the latest information on openings and closings in Miami-Dade County.

Consumer Protection

Consumer protection consists of laws, agencies and programs intended to guarantee the rights of consumers, fair trade competition and ensure factual information is provided in the marketplace.

The Consumer Protection Division's Mediation Center receives, processes and investigates consumer complaints, mediates disputes between consumers and businesses, identifies violations of the law by business operators and issues civil citations. The Mediation Center also provides information, education and outreach to the public on consumer protection-related issues, free of charge.

Consumer Protection laws are designed to prevent businesses that engage in fraud or specified unfair practices from gaining a competitive advantage over other businesses. Consumer protection laws are a form of government regulation which aim to protect the rights of consumers. Miami-Dade County offers information covering a wide range of consumer related subjects for residents and visitors.

Consumers filing online complaints are asked to use the last four digits of their home telephone number as a Temporary Complaint Number and to write this number on any supporting documentation they send to the Mediation Center. A permanent number will be assigned after the complaint is received. Information contained in complaints becomes public information and will be forwarded to the business as part of the dispute resolution process.

South Florida is known as one of the most popular destinations in the world, which means lots of tourists and shopping all year around. This also means that thieves can take advantage of the high volume of customers in stores to cash in on some common scams. The Miami-Dade County Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources’ Office of Consumer Protection would like share with you some simple tips to shop safely in stores and online.

There is a new kind of thief whose stock in trade is your everyday transactions, which is based on your personal information - your bank account, income, social security number, name, address, phone numbers and date of birth. Identity thieves take this information, without your knowledge, to commit fraud or theft.

Miami-Dade County conducts FREE sessions on how to file in Small Claims Court at different locations across the County. The entire Small Claims Court process is described step-by-step, from the initial filing through collection on a judgment, for claims of $5,000 or less.

The Wage Theft Ordinance applies to all private employers with employees who are performing work within the geographical boundaries of Miami-Dade County, without any regard to the physical location of the employer. Also, as with state and federal wage and hour laws, individuals may be liable under the ordinance if they were capable of exercising supervisory authority over the complaining employee and were responsible to some degree for the alleged violation.

You are now leaving the official website of Miami-Dade County government. Please be aware that when you exit this site, you are no longer protected by our privacy or security policies. Miami-Dade County is not responsible for the content provided on linked sites. The provision of links to these external sites does not constitute an endorsement.

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